I don't agree with most of the things Trump says, but I respect his right to say them. Failure to exercise the right to free speech is like having an awesome car in your garage and never driving it.

I also believe condemning Trump only strengthens the resolve of his supporters. I tend to soak in all the complaints and criticism, as well as praise, for everyone — Trump, President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio — and eventually formulate my own opinion.

I'm generally disappointed about incivility in American politics, a trend that's been worsening for years. I'm especially troubled by Trump's remarks about Muslims. I completely agree with the stance that terrorists like Islamic State should be destroyed. But I'm more interested in understanding why so many Americans support Trump's proposal to ban all Muslims from traveling to the United States.

What explains, for example, the shocking results of a Council on American-Islamic Relations poll of 2,000 Super Tuesday voters that found Trump has more support among Muslims than the rest of the Republican field combined? Or recent polls that show a majority of all Americans oppose accepting Syrian refugees into the United States?

My search for answers led me to Khalil Marrar, assistant professor of public policy and political science at Governors State University and an expert in Middle Eastern studies. His research focuses on the intersection of public policy and foreign affairs. He's authored two books,"The Arab Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Two State Solution" (2008) and "Middle East Conflicts: The Basics" (2016).

Khalil Marrar, assistant professor of public policy and political science at Governors State University and an expert in Middle Eastern studies. Mar. 4, 2016. (Chicago Tribune)

Khalil Marrar, assistant professor of public policy and political science at Governors State University and an expert in Middle Eastern studies. Mar. 4, 2016. (Chicago Tribune)

Marrar was born in Kuwait and educated in the United States. He offers the perspective of a Muslim-American and says he is scared by Trump's comments — not as a Muslim, but as a citizen.

"We're seeing a collision between freedom of speech and the right to practice religion," Marrar said during a conversation in his office. "I fear for my country. I came to this country to escape that."

Marrar may find Trump's messages offensive, but he's more concerned by how everyday people are reacting to Trump's tough talk.

"Donald Trump is a dangerous man because he's preaching to a choir that believes his message," Marrar said.

Earlier we chatted about freedom of speech, and he asked what I thought of conservative and liberal biases in media outlets like Fox News and MSNBC. I said I had no problem with that because objectivity was something Edward R. Murrow invented in the mid-20th century.

For more than 150 years after America's founding, I said, newspapers were unashamed of their political leanings. If you were a Whig or Federalist, you naturally gravitated to the outlet of your choice and got your news from a source friendly to your views.

Distorted facts, slanted truths and outright lies have always been part of American politics. Politicians use language to build support for their side and to cut down opponents. When free speech is valued, the thinking goes that out of many voices, the truth may be found.

What's shocking about the acceptance of Trump's hate speech, Marrar says, is that in American society the pendulum had swung pretty far in the direction of political correctness prior to this presidential primary season.

"The airing of hate speech was out of fashion," he said. "In our PC culture, we had driven hate speech underground."

The rise of political correctness in the mainstream media, on social media and elsewhere didn't mean that our prejudices and fears had softened. We simply weren't openly talking about them as much. Trump has us talking again.

Marrar believes that the best way for rational people to counter the acceptance of hate speech is to confront underlying prejudices head-on.

"Fight bad speech with more speech. Say the truth in a way that speaks to fears," he said.

Muslims should do a better job getting out in front of the simmering sense of Islamophobia, he added. Peace-loving Muslims can do more to denounce terrorism.

"Muslims from here fear Muslims from there," meaning the Middle East, just as much as non-Muslims do, he said, because the ones over there "have a propensity to commit terror."

"I'd be dishonest if I didn't say there was a reason to fear Muslims," he said. The path to peace and understanding begins with "acknowledging the basis for derogatory information."

Marrar hopes for more dialogue so that more people understand the difference between terrorists and peaceful Muslims.

"Even if there is just one (Muslim committing terror) in my name, there's a problem because it leaves me answering for it," Marrar said.